Our school offer

Our newly developed and purpose built primary building is located within the school's expansive grounds, while still being very much part of the school community.  The provision provides Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils, aged between 5 and 11, with a nurturing learning environment where there are opportunities to develop skills to help children learn and grow to become confident and happy members of the school community.

The provision has been designed to accommodate small class sizes where children can feel safe and learn in an environment full of character and colour.

The primary playground supports pupils to explore, play and discover, in addition to developing and strengthening their gross motor skills and coordination through play. During break times pupils stay active and explore whilst putting into practice their social skills, so that they can make and develop friendships in a fun, safe space.

Furthermore, plans are already in place to develop a conservation area so that pupils can enjoy the woodland space and appreciate the natural wildlife in the local area by setting up camera traps. The aim of the therapeutic space is to help shape the resilience, confidence and self-esteem of pupils through hands on learning experiences. This will also help pupils to improve social skills, develop problem solving abilities and team working. The development of these skills and qualities will ultimately cascade into other areas of pupils’ school life, as well as their personal life, allowing them to grow, flourish and thrive.

Key Stage 2 and 3 learners follow a topic based curriculum which helps teaching and learning become more interesting, relevant and motivating.  This approach enables pupils to make connections, transfer knowledge and build their understanding and confidence.  This has ultimately resulted in continuity and comprehension of topics being more thorough, whilst pupils are able to apply critical thinking as they identify, categorise, compare and find themes.

The topic based curriculum facilitates the engagement of learning and allows for pupils to enjoy subjects that they previously did not. For example, In Key Stage 2 the topic of Greece will see pupils exploring the country’s geographical profile and the climate, whilst in history they discover the Olympics Games. In RE, pupils explore polytheism and monotheism and in food technology they cook traditional Greek Food. 

The topic based curriculum sparks conversations and provide pupils with the opportunity to collaborate, share their ideas and take ownership of their learning, resulting in the strong development of knowledge, skills and meaningful learning experiences.

Pupils are encouraged to take part in sporting activities during playtime and are also introduced to new sports in PE and extra-curricular activities.  Working together to tackle skills and tasks, pupils develop a range of skills that are easily transferable into many aspects of their lives, including the classroom and their home environment.  Participating in new and exciting sporting activities enables our pupils to take calculated risks that empower them, resulting in increased confidence and intrigue for their next challenge.

The school’s sizeable sports hall is the perfect backdrop for pupils to learn and develop skills in a range of sports, including, badminton, table tennis, boxing and martial arts, or can be introduced to wall climbing by accessing the school’s bouldering wall. Pupils can also request to experience new sports, and where appropriate, a local specialist is brought in to teach them so that they can learn new skills in their learning environment, one such example is archery.

The school also welcomes Sunderland Foundation of Lights, the registered charity of Sunderland Football Club. Professional players deliver training sessions aimed to boost the pupil's dribbling, ball control and coordination, passing and shooting - skills needed to win matches and also develop skills and qualities such as team working skills and resilience.

The school has officially partnered with the Johan Cruyff Foundation, which was set up by one of the world’s greatest sporting icons. The aim of the organisation is to support and develop sports activities for children and young people all over the world. 

The school’s state of the art Cruyff Court, is an all-weather pitch which supports small group sports, including football, basketball, volleyball and netball, and an additional grassed field area. The aim of the space is where pupils can grow, make friends and improve their mental health.

We provide our pupils with opportunities to explore the local area in a safe and supported way so that they gain an appreciation of the outdoors and recognise the range of opportunities that it offers.  In order to broaden their horizons the trips are presented in a variety of ways.

For example, pupils access Beach School, where they explore their coastal area and become aware about the environment, and the importance of sustainability. The aim of the subject is to help shape the resilience, confidence and self-esteem of pupils through hands on learning experiences. The Beach School has been a benefit to pupils as they are given opportunities to further improve social skills, problem solving abilities and team working. The development of these skills and qualities have cascaded into other areas of pupils’ school life, as well as their personal life, allowing them to grow, flourish and thrive.

Pupils also access other activities including archery, rock climbing and boxing, which offer new opportunities to discover new hobbies and interests.

Pupils are encouraged to choose an area of interest so that they can either develop an existing skill or learn new skills to help them build their confidence and expertise in their chosen subject.

This tailored approach encourages pupils to be more responsible for their learning and helps to improve engagement, which further develops their social and emotional resilience. Subjects vary from learning a new language such as Russian to taking part in a new sport or mastering hair and beauty. The pupil lead learning is truly bespoke to the individual and sessions take place once a week in an afternoon.

To further reiterate the importance of pupils taking responsibility of their learning and development, they demonstrate their progress through portfolio building which helps them to recognise their progress and achievements, and helps to build their confidence.

The school’s Occupational Therapist has helped to design and develop the primary playground so that it fully supports pupils with sensory needs. The play area enables pupils to develop and strengthen both their gross motor skills and co-ordination through play.

The school grounds provide the perfect space for plenty of outdoor activities. During break times, pupils stay active and explore whilst putting into practice their social skills, so that they can make and develop friendship in a fun, safe space. The calming environment has also been requested by pupils for time out sessions reiterating its therapeutic benefits.

Further plans are in place to use the grounds of the school to develop a Forest School area so that pupils can enjoy the woodland space and the chance to play, explore and discover. The aim of the development is to help shape the resilience, confidence and self-esteem of pupils through hands on learning experiences. Forest Schools have a proven track record of further improving social skills, problem solving abilities and team working. The development of these skills and qualities will ultimately cascade into other areas of pupils’ school life, as well as their personal life, allowing them to grow, flourish and thrive.

Ashbrooke School run a programme to encourage children and young people to read, we have an on-site mascot who encourages reading along with a book vending machine, where pupils can exchange points for books.